The Gladiator Gold Mine is 5 kilometres west of Laverton. The name relates to two sites. One is south of the Old Laverton Road as a modern abandoned open pit, as part of five pits named as West Laverton Gold Mine. There is some evidence the pits had individual names, for example, one was called Regis.

Gladiator also refers to older workings to the north, and just north of the Old Laverton Road. Both sites have also been called Gladiator South. The North Gladiator is a insignificant prospect several kilometres further north. The old workings were also called Augusta and Golden Range in the past. All this has caused no end of confusion.

New workings: one source states the Gladiator South produced 409 356 tonnes of ore at 2.49 g/t yielding 30 149 ounces of gold. The site was explored by Teck, Hills Minerals, and Ashton Gold Limited, before the lease was acquired by Sons of Gwalia in 1994. The pit was developed by Ashton before its gold division was re-named Aurora. They named the pit Murray's, after acquiring it from Barrick/Metex.

There are two felsic dykes on the west wall of the pit in banded iron formation, and it appears this was focussed on during mining. High grade gold is hosted by the silica-rich banded iron formation. High grade gold is found in cross faults, fractured fold hinges and sulphide rich banded iron formation, with similarities to the Craiggiemore mine nearby. Gold has also developed along the contact with the felsic intrusive rocks, with gold confined to quartz veins in the shear system.

The map and the rest of this article relates to the old workings. This is of an entirely different character to that south of the road. Mining was before the days of rehabilitation, and the tailings heap is busily eroding westwards down an ephemeral creek. Some buildings, rusting tanks, and what the source states is a 'mess' (although probably interesting mess) spread about the site.

The original prospectors at the site could not be located. The location was first known as the Augusta Mine. In 1899, a company was developing the deposit. Every day, sixty camels loaded with ore, would travel to the company's battery at the Hawk Nest mine. Eventually the battery was transferred to the Gladiator site.

Initially the mine appeared to be very rich, and over subsequent years was operated by several companies, mining syndicates and prospectors. In 1906, only fourteen shareholders controlled the mine. They were offered 30 000 pounds for the mine, and refused the offer. Mine manager, J.C. Cray in 1912, purchased the battery at the Grosmont Mine near Coolgardie and had it transferred to Gladiator. A new gas plant was installed in 1914, and then the mine closed shortly after. Mid 1916 the mine was forfeited to G.A. McOmish, one of the original prospectors who found gold at Laverton in 1895.

In 1920, a new syndicate re-named the mine Golden Range. Shortly after mixed gold with tellurides was discovered in the centre of the main reef, at 25 to 30 dwt. Specimens were publically displayed as proof. It was a rare example of tellurides in Western Australia outside of the Golden Mile at Kalgoorlie. However, it is unlikely this was extensive, as no more was heard of the syndicate after 1920. R. Sullivan owns the mine in 1930, and is testing the deposit.

Western Australian mining tycoon, Charles de Bernales, floated a company in London in 1929 to develop the mine. This activity however did not start until 1936. Some trial crushings were put through the Laverton state battery, and then major developments took place. The shaft was sunk to 700 feet discovering a lode below the old workings. Malcolm Gaston was mine manager.

Overhead machinery and a treatment plant was installed. Ore was transported to a 200 tonne steel bin, then sent through the primary crushers, by conveyor belt to the fine ore bins, through the 10 head stamp battery, then ball mill, strakes then used to recover the free gold, and the rest cyanided via the decantation process.

There were also mechanical and carpenter's workshops. Sulphides were struck at the water level, said to only be 25 feet from the surface. The mine employed about eighty men. The mine closed mid 1942. Most of the plant, buildings and headframe were dismantled and transferred to various mines including the Porphyry Mine near Yarri, Timoni Mine near Mount Ida, Lake view and Star Mine on the Golden Mile, and a near new 60 hp winder was purchased by the Western Mining Company.

The mine had been controlled by one of Bernales' entities called the Great Boulder Mining and Finance Ltd, in turn the mine operated by subsidiary Gladiator Gold Mining Company Pty Ltd. They were two of many Bernales entities at the time. Shareholders had taken them to court claiming collusion between the companies to the detriment of individual shareholders. In 1943 they won the case and the companies went into liquidation. The mine and equipment was sold in 1948 by Bewick Moreing and Co on behalf of the official receiver.

See also Augusta Mindat listing.

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Regional Geology

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is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys.
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